Fishing Bootleg Lake in Navajo County, Arizona

• Overview

  Bootleg Lake sits in Navajo County, out in Arizona. Elevation runs to 6,883 feet. It covers about 8 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The closest town, Pinetop-Lakeside, is 4.9 miles away. Then North Fork, 5.5 miles, and Lake of the Woods, 7 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Bootleg Lake

  The basin holds salt water, and for most of the year it is no place to plan a fishing trip. Expect a pan of salt and mud most years; water arrives rarely and leaves fast. If you are set on fishing this area, look to the rivers and fresh waters nearby instead. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Read Bootleg Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 34°F. The year turns gently, without extremes at either end. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. That is the shape of the year on Bootleg Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. It is recorded as intermittent, which means the basin empties in dry spells. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Amos Lake at 0.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the current arrangement for Bootleg Lake.